What is Potassium?

Potassium
is a mineral found in many different foods, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, dried beans, and peas. Potassium helps maintain normal blood pressure and also helps muscles, including the heart, to contract properly.

Why Follow a Low-Potassium Diet?

Your doctor may recommend following a low-potassium diet if you have kidney problems or are taking certain medicines. If you have kidney problems, excess potassium can build up to dangerous levels in your blood. This can lead to confusion,
irregular heartbeats
, or a
heart attack
.

Foods High and Low in Potassium

Food With High Potassium

The high-potassium foods on the table contain more than 200 milligrams of potassium per serving. This is considered to be high in potassium. In general, you should avoid these foods if you need to limit how much potassium you eat. However, you may be able to work with a dietitian to add small portions of your favorite
foods.

Food With Low Potassium

The foods in the right-hand column are considered to be low in potassium. Remember, though, that eating more than one serving of any of these foods can make it a high-potassium food.
All servings are ½ cup (unless otherwise noted).

Food CategoryFood With High PotassiumFood With Low Potassium

Fruits

Apricots—2 medium raw, 5 dry halves

Avocado—¼

Banana—½

Cantaloupe—½ cup

Dates—5 whole

Dried fruits—½ cup

Figs—dried, ½ cup

Grapefruit juice—½ cup

Honeydew—½ cup

Kiwi—1 medium

Mango—1 medium

Nectarine—1 medium

Orange—1 medium

Orange juice—½ cup

Papaya —½ whole

Pomegranate—1 whole

Pomegranate juice—½ cup

Prunes—½ cup

Prune juice—½ cup

Raisins—½ cup

Apple (1 medium), apple juice, apple sauce

Apricots—canned in juice

Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries

Cherries

Fruit cocktail

Grapes, grape juice

Grapefruit—½ whole

Mandarin oranges

Peaches—1 small fresh, ½ cup canned

Pears—1 small fresh, ½ cup canned

Pineapple, pineapple juice

Plums—1 whole

Tangerine—1 whole

Watermelon—limit to 1 cup

Vegetables

All portions are ½ cup.

Acorn squash

Artichoke

Bamboo shoots

Baked beans

Butternut squash

Beets, fresh then boiled

Black beans

Brussels sprouts

Chinese cabbage

Carrots, raw

Dried beans and peas

Greens, except kale

Hubbard squash

Kohlrabi

Lentils

Legumes

Mushrooms, canned

Parsnips

Potatoes, white and sweet

Pumpkin

Refried beans

Rutabagas

Spinach, cooked

Tomatoes, tomato products

Vegetable juice

Alfalfa sprouts

Asparagus—6 spears

Beans, wax or green

Cabbage, green and red

Carrots, cooked

Cauliflower

Celery—1 stalk

Corn—½ ear fresh,½ cup frozen)

Cucumber

Eggplant

Kale

Leached potatoes
*

Lettuce

Mixed vegetables

Mushrooms, fresh

Okra

Onions

Parsley

Peas, green

Peppers

Radish

Rhubarb

Water chestnuts, canned

Watercress

Other Foods

Bran/bran Products—½ cup

Chocolate—1.5-2 ounces

Granola—½ cup

Milk, all types —1 cup

Molasses—1 tablespoon

Nutritional supplements

Nuts and seeds —1 ounce

Peanut butter—2 tablespoons

Salt substitutes —½ cup

Salt-free broth—½ cup

Yogurt—½ cup

Bread and bread products (not whole grains)

Cake—angel food cake, yellow cake

Coffee—limit to 8 ounces

Cookies (without nuts or chocolate)

Noodles

Pasta

Pies (without chocolate or high-potassium food)

Rice

Tea—limit to 16 ounces

Other

Snuff or chewing tobacco

*To leach potatoes: Peel and cut them into small pieces. Soak them in a large amount of water for at least two hours. (Use at least 5 cups of water for every 1 cup of potatoes.) Drain, rinse, and cook as desired.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.